@ernie@writing.exchange

Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · 5d ago

A lot of folks are hard-launching vibe-coded apps into the world. If you do this, please do me a favor: When you email folks about the thing you built, write the email yourself. Thanks. https://tedium.co/2026/08/09/vibe-coding-insincerity/ new @tedium@social.tedium.co

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jul 27, 2026

You know how much of a dark pattern Facebook is? Simply typing “fa,” two home row characters, is enough to trigger it in most browsers. I had to come up with a brain hack to stop typing it and visiting this site I freaking hate. https://tedium.co/2026/07/27/facebook-home-row-keyboard-trick/ new @tedium@social.tedium.co

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jul 20, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

@neatnik@social.lol I don’t respond this way to criticize you (after all, you may be right), but because *my* reaction when reading this was, “Hey, can I interview this guy, he’s doing something interesting on the internet.” I think it’s important to approach folks who build things assuming best intentions. Unless they’re asking for a casino link, in which case, screw ’em.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jul 20, 2026

Replying to @neatnik@social.lol

@neatnik@social.lol So, I looked back at the thread you posted about it. You kind of jumped hard on the guy and he got mad about it. I hate spam as much as the next guy (long track record of posting backlink requests on main), but you’re accusing him of not creating something with soul. Which, if I spent time creating something, I would find pretty unfair. Is it possible he just wanted to build something nice? Did you talk to the guy or read up on him before taking this defensive stance?

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jul 16, 2026

Hey Sony, there’s no reason there can’t be kiosks across the land burning physical discs for gamers on demand. It’s been done before! @mattl@social.mat.tl highlights an example from the UK that covered a surprising number of platforms: https://tedium.co/2026/07/15/edos-disk-copying-system-history/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jul 15, 2026

You gotta see this incredible recreation of a vintage web portal. https://flamenet.io/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jul 02, 2026

Let me pose an existential question: Would we have been better off if we never had a single place where we could all post snarky quips, but instead used a bunch of shitty web forums that barely worked?

Mayhaps.

https://tedium.co/2026/07/01/online-web-forums-retrospective/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

What We Lost When We Quit Using Crappy Old Web Forums

Old web forums were poorly coded and rough around the edges, but maybe we gave up on them too quickly in the social media era.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 27, 2026

Apple, the master of vertical integration, may have finally found something it can’t vertically integrate: RAM.

https://tedium.co/2026/06/27/apple-micron-ram-shortage-vertical-integration/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 24, 2026

So having an issue with my laptop: The camera randomly stopped working this morning, didn’t work in Windows or Linux. BIOS updates did not fix. But after the issue had completely ruined my morning, I set up on my home setup and … the laptop camera suddenly started working again.

My presumption is that a cable is getting crimped by the hinge and causing it to short (I did open it up and that seemed like a genuine possibility). Any thoughts?

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 23, 2026

RE: @ernie@writing.exchange

Heard from Dave Cross, who worked on nms, the set of scripts intended to replace Matt’s insecure scripts. He was nice enough to address why his own scripts haven’t been updated in 20 years. Updated the piece with some of his insights:

https://tedium.co/2026/06/22/matts-script-archive-retrospective/

writing.exchange

Ernie Smith: "I decided that I needed to write a bit about Matt…" - Writing Exchange

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 22, 2026

I decided that I needed to write a bit about Matt’s Script Archive, the website that armed hundreds of thousands of weekend website makers with the forums and guestbooks they needed back in 1996.

Just one problem: The scripts were horribly insecure.

https://tedium.co/2026/06/22/matts-script-archive-retrospective/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

Matt’s Script Archive: The Scripts That Reshaped The Web

The high schooler who developed everyone’s forums and guestbooks in 1996 didn’t really think about security. But Matt’s Script Archive was more than exploits.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 21, 2026

I noticed when I was working on my latest Tedium piece that the original Web forum software, created by the W3C, was no longer online. I downloaded it, did some updates to make it hostable on Docker, and put it online.

Try it here. Don’t use a password you care about: https://wit.tedium.co

The code is on GitHub in case you feel like running a really old forum on your own website: https://github.com/readtedium/WIT

wit.tedium.co

WIT - W3 Interactive Talk

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 12, 2026

In so many ways, having ethics is for suckers. You have to uphold a high standard for yourself only for people to knock you off that high standard or drag you for any perceived diversion.

But you should ultimately follow them because you care, not for someone else’s fairweather sake. That’s a trap. Do it for you, not them.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 11, 2026

Recently I took a journey with a portable eGPU. And honestly, I kind of love it—even if it was a massive pain in the ass to set up in Linux.

https://tedium.co/2026/06/10/gigabyte-aorus-5060-ti-ai-box-egpu-review/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 07, 2026

Replying to @Axolotl1@gaygeek.social

@Axolotl1@gaygeek.social @tedium@social.tedium.co One would think! But apparently this is a bipartisan bill.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Jun 07, 2026

Adobe is pitching a new law that aims to protect artistic styles. It may be meant for AI, but all I see are blurred lines. https://tedium.co/2026/06/06/adobe-creator-act-style-protection-commentary/ new @tedium@social.tedium.co

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · May 06, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

Tedium has written about Ted Turner many times. https://tedium.co/search/?q=ted+turner

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · May 06, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org Basically, him and Barry Diller are the only good billionaires, the other ones just make me mad

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · May 06, 2026

Replying to @lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org

@lauren@mastodon.laurenweinstein.org His restaurant re-popularized paper straws after they disappeared for decades

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · May 06, 2026

I once called Ted Turner the Steve Jobs of television, which makes me all the sadder about his passing. He was from the era of billionaires that were weird in a good way.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · May 03, 2026

Replying to @ironicsans@mastodon.social

@ironicsans@mastodon.social All credit goes to @enkiv2@eldritch.cafe

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · May 03, 2026

Yes, you can in fact reinvent the wheel. @enkiv2@eldritch.cafe did a bunch of digging and found ample evidence that wheels are constantly being reinvented—some more successfully than others.

More in today’s @tedium@social.tedium.co:

https://tedium.co/2026/05/03/wheel-reinvention-technology-history/

eldritch.cafe

𒀭𒂗𒆠 ENKI ][e (@enkiv2@eldritch.cafe) - Eldritch Café

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 22, 2026

The movie they didn’t want you to see now has a trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-43VeYGiPM

YouTube

Coyote vs. ACME | Official Trailer

Coyote vs. Acme

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 22, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

“Often, AI is just used as a reason to do something that employees would otherwise be uncomfortable with.” https://tedium.co/2026/04/21/mcclatchy-journalism-ai-scapegoat/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 22, 2026

Don’t lose sight of the fact that when an employer points to AI as a reason to do something, AI is really just a way to sell it.

They wanted to do it anyway.

https://tedium.co/2026/04/21/mcclatchy-journalism-ai-scapegoat/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

McClatchy AI Controversy: Blame The Human Leaders

Yes, AI is changing things in the corporate world, but let’s be clear: The humans are driving the actual change. McClatchy proves it.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 21, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

@james@bne.social the tip about Amazon is super helpful btw, thank you for that. I dug around and think it can be done without the additional plan. Cheers.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 20, 2026

Replying to @james@bne.social

@james@bne.social Great feedback, appreciate you sharing.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 20, 2026

Anyone do the Mullvad add-on for Tailscale? Is it worth it?

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 20, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

The chorus of “Pitta Patta” is *chef’s kiss* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK5zOEoRiso

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 20, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

His first big hit, “Bend Down,” reflects his music’s overall chill vibe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy2VZDi32Xw

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 20, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

Let me share some of his songs. This is one of his best-known songs, “Duppy Gun Man.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot4NruI-VrA

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 20, 2026

My reggae-legend namesake Ernie Smith just died. He was 80. This hit me surprisingly hard—I’ve been competing with this man’s search results my whole life. Seriously though, he’s an icon. You should check out his music.

https://www.caribbeannationalweekly.com/entertainment/legendary-jamaican-singer-ernie-smith-dies-at-80/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 18, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

“This was necessary, after all. World Wars are expensive, and someone needed to pay for it, so why not the middle class?” https://tedium.co/2026/04/18/tax-forms-history-irs/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 18, 2026

I found a book in a junk shop that made me think of a question I had never considered before: What’s up with the Form 1040?

That sent me on a long journey through the history of taxes. I made it out alive!

https://tedium.co/2026/04/18/tax-forms-history-irs/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

Income Taxes: Where Did The Form 1040 Come From?

What it was like to navigate income taxes in the days before we did everything electronically. Just as annoying then as now.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 17, 2026

I like every other creative software company going out of their way to work together to fill out the creative stack. Now if we get all these apps on Linux …

https://www.theverge.com/tech/913765/adobe-rivals-free-creative-software-app-updates

The Verge

The creative software industry has declared war on Adobe

All empires must fall.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 16, 2026

Crypto miners, start your engines https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/14/uk-households-power-renewables-soar

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 15, 2026

Recently, I found myself struggling to figure out a fingerprint situation for my Linux laptop. The reason? Few external fingerprint readers have the chip you need—and it’s impossible to know what it it until it’s in your hand.

My solution? Temu.

https://tedium.co/2026/04/14/linux-external-fingerprint-reader-challenges/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

Linux & Fingerprint Readers: A Tough Combination

I bought a USB fingerprint reader for my Linux laptop from Temu because it was the only one I could find that I knew would work.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 11, 2026

New Photoshop competitor for Linux just dropped. (Not FOSS, sadly, but not subscription either.)

https://www.fogpanther.com/

www.fogpanther.com

Fog Panther - Professional Image Editor for Linux

Fog Panther is a professional image editor built natively for Linux. Layer-based editing, PSD & RAW support, CMYK & multichannel separations, HDR, and professional brush tools. $69.99 one-time purchas

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 10, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

“Solitaire is quiet. It’s slow. It wants nothing from me.” https://tedium.co/2026/04/09/solitaire-card-game-types-history/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 10, 2026

Play much solitaire lately? I haven’t, but I hear David Buck has.

https://tedium.co/2026/04/09/solitaire-card-game-types-history/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

Solitaire’s Many Flavors: I Suck At Them. But That’s OK.

A meditation on the game of Solitaire and its endless variations, which go well beyond what you can find in Windows 3.1.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 09, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

I can confirm this specific one works. https://share.temu.com/049S3jqUWRC

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 09, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

I should note: You need to be very careful when buying, as most of the external Windows 11 readers do not support libfprint. If you need something more secure than this a YubiKey is probably a better bet, but this is a great way to avoid having to type in your password dozens of times in a command line. Plus, you can take the fingerprint reader with you, so it works as a second factor.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 09, 2026

For folks trying to get a working low-profile external fingerprint reader on Linux: Search for “cs9711” and presume you’re buying from either AliExpress or Temu. Everything else is either huge or not supported.

I just got mine in. Works perfect. Here’s the installer you need.

https://github.com/Ziomal12/libfprint-CS9711

GitHub

GitHub - Ziomal12/libfprint-CS9711: Fork to work on a driver for CS9711 - This is very experimental

Fork to work on a driver for CS9711 - This is very experimental and has veeeery little testing for false positives - don't use for anything that matters - - use upstream at https://gitlab.freed...

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 08, 2026

Replying to @johnefrancis@cosocial.ca

@johnefrancis @tedium It’s a good rabbit hole to be in!

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 08, 2026

Replying to @shermozle@aus.social

@shermozle There’s another video too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD7NnCzXpdY

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 08, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

In case you haven’t seen: It’s epic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs56ILRcYTg

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 08, 2026

What makes one decide to make a parody movie trailer for, of all things, the GNU Image Manipulation Program? I asked the puppeteer behind Pork Johnson, the star of the semi-viral GIMP clip.

https://tedium.co/2026/04/07/pork-johnson-gimp-parody-interview/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

The Puppeteer Behind The Fake GIMP Movie Trailer

What inspired the semi-viral fake GIMP trailer that recently fluttered around FOSS circles? The creator and puppeteer behind Pork Johnson explains.

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 06, 2026

Wild to me that I posted about this independently a couple of days before it became a legit news story.

https://www.tomshardware.com/software/browsers/linkedin-scans-visitors-browsers-for-over-6000-chrome-extensions-and-collects-device-data

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 03, 2026

Replying to @ernie@writing.exchange

“However, maintaining a WordPress site for something so old is just not a realistic option for most people. It’d be better if the final result was static and relied on minimal plugins.” https://tedium.co/2026/04/02/emdash-cloudflare-wordpress-competitor/

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Ernie Smith @ernie@writing.exchange · Apr 03, 2026

Some thoughts on Cloudflare’s attempt to build a successor to WordPress: Hey, if this keeps some old sites from going offline, all for it.

https://tedium.co/2026/04/02/emdash-cloudflare-wordpress-competitor/

new @tedium@social.tedium.co

Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet.

EmDash: A Clever WordPress Revamp, Hold The PHP

Cloudflare’s new attempt to win over the hearts of developers could help keep a few ancient WordPress sites from falling off the internet. That‘s a good thing.

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Ernie Smith

Posts

What We Lost When We Quit Using Crappy Old Web Forums

Ernie Smith: "I decided that I needed to write a bit about Matt…" - Writing Exchange

Matt’s Script Archive: The Scripts That Reshaped The Web

WIT - W3 Interactive Talk

𒀭𒂗𒆠 ENKI ][e (@enkiv2@eldritch.cafe) - Eldritch Café

Coyote vs. ACME | Official Trailer

McClatchy AI Controversy: Blame The Human Leaders

Income Taxes: Where Did The Form 1040 Come From?

The creative software industry has declared war on Adobe

Linux & Fingerprint Readers: A Tough Combination

Fog Panther - Professional Image Editor for Linux

Solitaire’s Many Flavors: I Suck At Them. But That’s OK.

GitHub - Ziomal12/libfprint-CS9711: Fork to work on a driver for CS9711 - This is very experimental

The Puppeteer Behind The Fake GIMP Movie Trailer

EmDash: A Clever WordPress Revamp, Hold The PHP

Remote instance

Media